1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearm accessories, and more particularly to a two-handed gun support that is useful in supporting a gun on a wall or in the window of a hunting blind or stand. Additionally, the gun support may be useful for supporting a gun from a kneeling position, or for supporting a gun on a large flat surface when adjusting or sighting the gun.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices have been constructed to aid shooters in steadily aiming and firing guns. A number of these devices have been specifically designed to assist with firing guns that required two hands to hold and fire (two-handed guns) such as rifles or shotguns.
In the art of hunting, short reaction time, stealth, and accuracy are favorable attributes for the hunter. Because of the typically long periods that a hunter must wait for prey to enter his field of view, it is fatiguing and thus impractical to hold a gun at a ready position for the entire time. Consequently, a hunter places his gun in some more comfortable position while waiting. When the prey enters the field of view, the hunter repositions the gun. The repositioning of a gun takes time, creates noise, and makes accurate shooting less likely. Therefore, it is advantageous for the hunter to have his gun generally resting to overlook the field of view into which the weapon will be fired.
A common way for hunters to conceal their presence and provide a favorable vantage from which to fire a weapon is to build a wall or a blind with a window through which a gun may be fired. Additionally, the wall or blind may be placed on an elevated stand or in a tree. For a gun support to be useful to a hunter utilizing a wall or blind, the gun support must be adapted for use with the wall or blind.
Three patents describing structures which aid shooters in aiming two-handed guns are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,935,657, 4,017,997, and 5,050,330. The '657 patent describes a very stable rest for securely holding and firing a rifle. It provides the shooter with a very steady guide, and would be adaptable to hold a gun in a position overlooking a particular field of view for a long period of waiting. However, the rest is not adaptable for use on a wall or through a window. The rest in the '657 patent must be place on a relatively large flat surface. Such a flat surface is typically not available in a hunting stand.
The '997 patent describes a support of a gun barrel by means of a compact pair of adjustable legs that attach to the barrel of the gun. This invention is adequately portable to be usable in a blind or stand. However, since the legs would have to be rested on the edge of a wall or window, arguably it would be no more useful to the hunter than resting the barrel of the gun itself on the edge of the wall or window. Also, the invention would not aid in holding the gun in a position overlooking a particular field of view for a long period. The invention provides no means for pointing the gun in a particular direction by attaching to a wall or window.
The '330 patent pertains to a foam block with U-shaped grooves in which to rest and steady a gun. The '330 structure provides a way to rest a gun over the edge of a window. However, the window envisioned for use with the '330 structure is a vehicle window. The vehicle window pane is partially rolled up to fit into a groove of the rest to keep the rest from moving horizontally. It is doubtful that the invention would be adaptable to a window opening without a partially rolled up window pane. Even if the rest would remain in place without the window pane, the invention is not deep enough to independently hold the gun. Therefore, the invention alone would not hold the gun in a position overlooking a particular field of view for a long period.
Therefore, it is evident that none of these prior patents provides a means for resting a gun in a substantially ready position, steadying a gun while firing, and connecting the structure to a wall or a window opening.